Nothing bigger than Dortmund match, says Keller

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By Henry Jackson

The 42-year-old Schalke coach is looking forward to the crunch match against their bitter rivals, saying 'there is nothing bigger than this derby'

Schalke coach Jens Keller says he is looking forward to his first derby showdown against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, and admitted the match is a huge fixture in his side's season.

Although Keller feels his players treat every game as importantly as each other, he conceded that there is something extra special about the match and the rivalry.

"There is nothing bigger than this derby,“ Keller was quoted as saying on the club's official website. "The players are really motivated ahead of each match, but with this match they are a little bit more. Especially those guys who grew up here in this area, they live this derby and they infect their colleagues with their anticipation for the match.

"Every one of us knows about this duel's meaning.“

Schalke won the reverse fixture 2-1 back in October, and Keller is keen to keep the bragging rights for a little longer with a win on Saturday.

"We want to keep the three points with us and we want to celebrate the second victory in the derby this season," he added.

Keller's side has won its last two league games and is high on confidence, and the 42-year-old is happy with both the results and the performances of late.

"Not only did we have positive results recently, we played well, too," he continued.

There are expected to be 1000 police officers at the game, following trouble between both sets of fans at the game in Dortmund earlier in the season when over 200 arrests were made.